Ashampoo PDF Pro vs. Adobe Acrobat: Which Is Better?

How to Use Ashampoo PDF Pro — A Beginner’s GuideAshampoo PDF Pro is a Windows-based PDF editor that offers document creation, editing, conversion, and form handling in a compact, user-friendly package. This guide walks you through installation, basic tasks, useful features, and tips to make the most of the program as a beginner.

What Ashampoo PDF Pro is good for

Ashampoo PDF Pro covers the common PDF needs for home users and small offices: view and annotate PDFs, edit text and images inside PDFs, create PDFs from files or scans, convert PDFs to editable formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), fill and create forms, sign documents, and secure files with passwords and permissions.

Key strengths: simple interface, fast performance, reasonable price, and built-in OCR for making scanned PDFs searchable and editable.

System requirements and installation

Minimum: Windows 10 (64-bit) or later recommended.
Disk space: around 200–500 MB depending on version.
RAM: 2–4 GB recommended for normal use; more for large files.

Installation steps:

Download the installer from Ashampoo’s official site or your purchase link.
Run the installer and follow on-screen prompts.
Enter your license key when prompted (or use the trial mode).
Launch Ashampoo PDF Pro from Start Menu or desktop shortcut.

Interface overview

When you open a PDF, the main UI elements you’ll commonly use are:

Menu bar — File, Edit, View, Document, Tools, Help.
Ribbon / toolbar — quick-access buttons for editing, annotating, and conversion.
Navigation pane — thumbnails, bookmarks, and attachments.
Document area — where pages are displayed.
Status bar — current page, zoom, and document info.

Spend a few minutes clicking the toolbar icons — many functions are discoverable without reading the manual.

Opening and viewing PDFs

Open a PDF: File → Open, or drag-and-drop a file into the window.
Navigation: use the page thumbnails or the page number box to jump quickly.
Zoom & view modes: choose single page, continuous, two-page view, or fit-width.
Search: Ctrl+F to find text. Use advanced search for phrases or case-sensitive matches.

Basic editing: text and images

Ashampoo PDF Pro lets you alter text and images inside a PDF without converting it.

Edit text: Click the Edit tab → select “Edit text” → click the text you want to change. You can correct typos, change fonts, size, color, and alignment.
Edit images: Edit tab → “Edit image” → select an image to move, resize, rotate, replace, or delete.
Add new text or images: Use “Insert” tools to add text boxes or import images.
Reflow and layout: Be aware that heavy edits can shift layout—use careful adjustments and check following pages.

Working with pages: rotate, rearrange, extract

Thumbnails panel: drag pages to rearrange order.
Extract pages: Document → Extract pages to create a new PDF with selected pages.
Delete pages: select thumbnails and remove.
Rotate: right-click a page thumbnail or use Rotate commands to fix orientation.
Insert pages: add a blank page or import pages from another PDF via Document → Insert.

Converting PDFs (to/from Word, Excel, images)

Convert to editable formats: Go to Convert → choose Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or plain text. This is useful when you need to rework layout or content extensively.
Convert to images: Save pages as PNG, JPEG, or TIFF for sharing or web use.
Create PDF from files: File → Create PDF, then combine multiple documents (Word, images, HTML) into one PDF.

Conversion tips:

Complex layouts and fonts may not convert perfectly—always proofread the converted file.
Use OCR for scanned documents before converting to editable text.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

OCR transforms scanned pages into searchable, selectable text.

Run OCR: Tools → OCR or click the OCR button when a scanned PDF is opened.
Choose language(s) for best accuracy.
After OCR, you can search, copy text, and convert the document to editable formats.

Accuracy improves with high-quality scans and correct language selection.

Annotations, comments, and stamps

Highlight, underline, and strikeout text using the Comment/Annotate tools.
Add sticky notes, text boxes, and callouts for feedback.
Stamps: apply preset stamps like “Approved” or create custom stamps for workflow.
Measurement tools: measure distances or areas in documents like blueprints.

Annotations are visible in most PDF readers, making collaboration easier.

Forms: fill, edit, and create

Fill forms: click form fields to type or select options (works for AcroForms).
Create forms: Tools → Form Editor to add text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, combo boxes, and submit buttons.
Export/import form data: useful for collecting responses or reusing templates.

Test interactive elements after creation to ensure they work in other PDF readers.

Signing and security

Digital signatures: Document → Sign to apply a digital certificate-based signature. This verifies signer identity where supported.
Electronic signatures: draw or insert an image of your signature for simple approval workflows.
Password protection: Encrypt PDFs with a password and set permissions for printing, editing, or copying.
Redaction: Use redact tools to permanently remove sensitive text or images.

Remember to keep private keys and passwords secure.

Combining and splitting PDFs

Combine: File → Create PDF → Combine multiple files into one document (order can be adjusted).
Split: Document → Extract or Split to create separate documents by page ranges or bookmarks.

These are useful when assembling reports or sending only relevant pages.

Printing and exporting

Print dialog: available via File → Print; choose page range, scaling, and duplex options.
Export settings: control image quality, downsampling, and PDF/A for archiving.
Preflight: check document for print-ready problems (fonts, color space) if preparing for professional printing.

Useful shortcuts and tips

Ctrl+O — Open, Ctrl+S — Save, Ctrl+P — Print, Ctrl+F — Find.
Save incremental copies when doing heavy edits to preserve original.
Use “Compare documents” (if available) to spot differences between versions.
If fonts are missing, embed or substitute fonts to maintain layout.

Troubleshooting common issues

Missing fonts: install the font or substitute similar fonts; embedding prevents issues when sharing.
Poor OCR: rescan at higher DPI (300 DPI or more) and choose correct language.
Large file size: reduce image resolution or compress images during export.
Crashes/freezes: update Ashampoo PDF Pro, update Windows, and check for corrupted PDFs by opening other files.

When to convert versus edit in-place

Edit in-place when changes are small (typos, image swaps, minor layout tweaks).
Convert to Word/Excel when you need major reformatting or to leverage text-processing tools.

Alternatives and interoperability

Ashampoo PDF Pro is a good mid-range tool. For heavy enterprise workflows, Adobe Acrobat or specialized tools may offer deeper integrations. For free viewing and light edits, PDF-XChange Editor and LibreOffice Draw are options.

Final workflow example (common task)

Open scanned invoice → run OCR (Tools → OCR).
Convert to Word if you need to extract line items, or use text selection to copy amounts.
Annotate required fields and add stamp “Paid”.
Secure the final file with a password and save a copy for records.

If you want, I can:

Create step-by-step screenshots for a specific task (e.g., creating a fillable form).
Write a shorter quick-start cheat sheet with only the most-used shortcuts and commands.